November 2009

Investment Gifts for the Holidays – Part I

November 30, 2009

The holiday shopping season is official upon us. Consumerism is one reason why Americans aren’t as rich as we really should be – people spend all their time upgrading their stuff and not enough time getting financially secure. So, instead of getting stuff for the holidays, consider gifting real financial assets for your friends and [...]

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Negotiations Tips

November 29, 2009

I did all of my holiday shopping in Zimbabwe at local artisan stores and markets, so I thought I’d bring you a few reminders on tips for such negotiations. These can also come in handy stateside at craft fairs and so forth. Better in Bulk – You are much more likely to get a discount [...]

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Is The Coveted Visa Black Card That Great?

November 27, 2009

In honor of “black Friday”, my wife recently received an “invitation” to apply for a VISA Black Card. Up until this point my knowledge of Black Cards was limited to rap songs and movie references, but I do associate the Black Card with a certain amount of wealth and status. Which made it even more [...]

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Happy Thanksgiving Folks!

November 26, 2009
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Negotiate Your Bills

November 25, 2009

If you think that all of your bills are non-negotiable, you are wrong. I simply refuse to pay full price for our internet service and have negotiated this successfully for years. Basically as soon as the introductory rate runs out, I call up and negotiate again for another discounted rate. This time around I was [...]

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Selling Short

November 24, 2009

On September 19th, 2008 the Securities and Exchange Commission halted the short selling of financial stocks in order “to protect the integrity and quality of the securities market and strengthen investor confidence.” The U.K.’s Financial Services Authority took similar action the previous day, in an effort to stabilize what was at the time, a very [...]

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Wave of Debt Payments Facing U.S Government

November 23, 2009

This story is making the rounds on Digg. Its a sobering look at the national debt from the NY Times. In a nutshell its saying the debt is becoming increasing difficult to manage – total annual interest payments are approximately 500 billion. For my part, I’m thinking the Treasury is acting like a debt junky [...]

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How To Improve Your Credit Score

November 23, 2009

Credit scores are one of those little things in life that while they can have a significant impact on people’s financial bottom lines and your ability to build wealth, many people don’t understand all of the ins and outs. Here are a few tips to improve or maintain a good credit rating. Keep in mind [...]

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Where To Get Honest Credit Counseling

November 22, 2009

Folks, I had an interesting talk with a neighbor yesterday at lunch. He had a friend in New Mexico who was so deeply in debt that she walked away from all of her obligations; credit cards, home mortgage, student loans…everything. Generally its not a good idea to renege on your debts – it will destroy [...]

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California’s Budget Problems Continue

November 22, 2009

The California Board of Regents recently approved a staggering 32% increase in undergraduate tuition over the next two years. California’s budget problems have been well-documented, but this figure blew me away. Obviously, this didn’t sit well with students, whose protests gained the attention of the police. If I was attending UCLA and paying my own [...]

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